What am I doing here?
by Irukapooka
Summary: PG for violence, may go up to PG-13. When Zeni's team dies, she is forced to be in Team 7. But, will her father's killer come to kill her and her new teammates? Trust me, story's better than summary. Chp. 10 up! NOT A MARY SUE! A little OOC. SasuOC
1. Bad News and an Unwanted Past

Hey guys! This is one of the very few serious fanfics I have written, so I'm sorry if you don't think it's 'top quality'. Also, this story is set right before the Mission of the Waves, just to let you know. And please don't ask if there are gonna be any pairings in this fic. I'm not sure if there will be any. And if you read this, please kindly leave a review telling me what you think. The first chapter may be boring, I agree, but I wrote it so you could understand what's going on. I promise that the next chapter will be a lot better.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto but I do own Kinieto Zeni, and her mom.

Chapter 1: Bad News and an Unwanted Past

"Kinieto Zeni?"

I looked up into the eyes of my instructor, Iruka-sensei. "Yes, sir?" I yawned. It was five o' clock in the morning when Iruka-sensei called me out to the Ninja Academy. I had no idea why he would call me to the Academy. I had graduated from this school a few days ago.

"Zeni," he repeated as he looked down at a sheet of paper on his desk. "I am sorry to announce the death of your team."

A lump formed in my throat. "Death...of my team?" I said unsurely. How could this be possible? I began to grow nauseas.

Iruka-sensei nodded slowly. "Yes, I am sorry."

I leaned forward in my seat, beside his desk. "How-how is this possible? Aren't we only allowed to do Level D missions until we gain enough experience? Do the Level D missions take risk of our lives?" I asked swiftly.

Iruka-sensei got up from his chair and began to pace. "No, Level D missions consist of only doing chores for the people in the village. There is no chance of death you would be faced with."

"Then how?

Iruka-sensei sighed. "While you were sick, your team decided to start training without you. They went to the training grounds near the Konoha border and began to train there. What happened after that, we don't know. A few ANBU were going on a mission and came upon the bodies. They contacted me as soon as they found out. Then, I called you over here."

"What about my sensei? Wasn't he training and watching over them?"

"Yes."

"Is he..."

Iruka-sensei nodded. "He is also dead. The ANBU have been trying to find the persons who have killed them. There are no leads so far. Only the bodies."

A shiver ran down my spine. Who could've done it?

Iruka-sensei placed a hand on my shoulder. "I am sorry, Zeni. I imagine you are very overcome with grief. Please, go home and rest."

I stood up and stared at him with wide eyes. How could he just expect me to go to my house and rest when he had just told me that my team members and our instructor had died? I was about to say something about this, but he had a firm grip on my shoulder and led me out the door.

* * *

I stepped inside my apartment complex. I lived here along with my mom. It wasn't the most extravagant apartment, but it fit our needs.

I walked into the kitchen and found my mom trying to cook eggs. She looked up from her cooking and smiled. "Zeni! Were you assigned to a mission? Tell me all about it!" she said excitedly. She left her eggs and sat down at the table.

I took a chair from the table and sat down. "My teammates..." I started off shakily. "They're dead. Even sensei."

"Dead?" my mom's voice sounded hollow. She looked at me. "What did you do?!"

I gulped. "N-nothing! I swear!"

She got out of her seat and took me by my shoulders and shook me. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO ANGER THEM?!" she yelled in my face.

"I didn't do anything!" my voice began to shrink.

She began to shake me harder. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO ANGER THEM?!"

"Mom! Stop!"

She let go of me and slumped to the floor. "I'm sorry, Zeni. I don't know what got into me. I'm sorry." She began to sob quietly. "I'm afraid they'll come and take you away from me too."

I stood up and walked past her. I walked up the stairs and into my room. The first thing that I saw when I turned into my bedroom was my mirror. It was long in length, which meant I could see my whole body to model clothes. I stared into it and looked at the person staring back at me.

The person inside the mirror was a twelve year old girl with honey blonde hair, draped around her shoulders. Her hitai-ate was tied loosely around her neck. She wore a white shirt with Konoha's symbol on the back under her khaki coat. Her pants were khaki and loose, while her sandals were black.

I stared deeper into my twin's eyes. Once ago my eyes were green and cheerful. Now they were dull and seemed to have no life in them.

I turned away from the mirror and lay on my bed. What was going on? Did I really do something to anger them like Mom had said? Or was it pure coincidence?

I turned on my side. You see, my dad saw something he shouldn't have. He got caught and was killed for it by this secret organization. I was eleven then, not even a year ago.

I snuggled deeper into my covers. My dad had worked for this organization for awhile. He was respected there. I do not see why he killed him.

Yes, he. He killed my father. I have only met him once and I don't ever want to meet him again. I do not know his name. But he sends chills up my spine whenever I think of him.

My mom and I thought they had forgotten about us and we fled to another part of town. We thought that we'd be killed if they found out that we were my dad's wife and daughter. At first, it all went well. Mom finally learned how to cook and I began to study Konoha and the shinobi lifestyle.

After a month, they came to our door. Mom was terrified. She thought we were both going to be killed on the spot. Instead, they ordered me to become a shinobi and go to the Ninja Academy. Then, once they had confirmed that, they left without a trace.

I never wanted to become a shinobi. My plans was just to be home taught by Mom and teach a history class down at the Ninja Academy. But, those dreams will never come true. I am to become a full fledged shinobi. Their shinobi.

In the Ninja Academy I did very well. Since I had studied a lot of the shinobi life, I got a head start. I wasn't at the top of my class, but I was close. I graduated to a Gennin only a few days ago.

My mom tried to act happy and cheerful about it, but I knew that she was afraid on the inside. She was afraid of them and that they wanted to me to become a shinobi. I was too. Especially after what I was told this morning. Was it really that dangerous to become a shinobi? Or, did the secret organization find them?

I cursed myself under my breath. Mom wouldn't let me go out to be with my team for the first time because I was sick with the flu. Was it my fault that they were killed?

Frustrated, I threw off my sheets and headed towards the door to my apartment. I could not sleep with thoughts crowding my mind. Saying a quick good-bye to my mom, I left to the ramen bar.

* * *

A shinobi. Was it safe to become a shinobi? Iruka-sensei understood my fears as he led me out the door. He asked me if I still wanted to become one. I answered him with a quick yes and left. I did not want the secret organization on me, nor did I want to waste almost a year of my life training and not going through with it.

I sighed. There I went again, thinking. I stared down at my ramen-which wasn't there. I scowled. I had paid for it with my allowance. I heard slurping next to me. I glanced over and saw a blonde-haired boy, with fox whiskers on his face as birthmarks, shoving ramen down his trap. I glared at him. "Hey! That's mine!" I yelled.

The boy set the ramen down and looked up at me. "Sorry. I didn't think you'd notice," he said as he smiled.

I got up and stomped out of the ramen bar feeling very irritated.

* * *

I hope you guys liked it! As I promised before, the next chapter is a whole lot better! Stay tuned! 


	2. Welcome to Team 7

**Disclaimer: **Don't own anything except Zeni and the rest of the OC characters

Chapter 2: Welcome to Team 7

Next morning, I lazily got out of my bed and headed back to the Ninja Academy. Iruka-sensei was to assign me to a team in his afternoon class. When I asked why, he told me it was because when my students from my class, the evening class, heard about what happened to my teammates, they'd freak. Imagine if I was to be assigned to a team that hated my guts because my team died.

I shivered in the early morning hours of Konoha. I hugged my jacket tighter for extra warmth, as I stumbled out of my apartment complex and onto the deserted streets of early morning. I held back a yawn as I looked at a clock, hanging on a nearby building. 6:00 A.M. I let out a sigh. Iruka-sensei wanted me to train with my new team members as soon as possible.

I didn't know what his rush was. I suppose he didn't want the news of my team to spread.

I continued to walk. I admit, I was nervous. Would my new team accept me? Would they allow me to participate and share my decisions? Would they find me inferior, since I would be an extra member? Would I be able to have a friend?

I know, it sounds corny. But, the truth is, all I want is somebody to make my shinobi training bearable. I don't want to pass by as a shell. Maybe, if I did have a friend, becoming a shinobi would be more exciting. But, in the back of my head, I doubted it. The people that were going to be on my team had their own free will and took the chance to become one. It was their own decision. Mine, however, was not.

Finally, a huge shadow loomed over me. I ignored it and went between the two doors to the Academy.

* * *

I checked inside Iruka's classroom first. He wasn't there. I sat at the nearest desk, grumbling on about when I see him, I was sure to complain. I could've slept in.

I sat there, drumming my fingers against the wood of my desk. "Bored? I thought you'd be anticipating something like this," I heard a voice behind me.

I whipped around in my seat to face Iruka-sensei. "Iruka-sensei! I didn't realize you were there!" I gasped.

Iruka smiled as the smoke around him disappeared. "You have quite an imagination for thinking up things to say to me when you are angry."

I blushed. "Forgive me."

Iruka shook it off. "No worries. I was late and you were early. Sorry to keep you waiting." He dusted his shoulders off with his hands. "Now, about your new team," he mused. "Come with me."

He walked quickly down the steps of the classroom and out the door. Curious, I followed him out.

"Where are we going?" I asked as I caught up to him.

"Into my office," he replied simply. He looked down at my face. Seeing the confusion, he went on. "My computer will randomly pick a team for you."

"Oh," I said understandably.

"Yes, here we are!" he exclaimed as we stopped at a door labeled: Umino Iruka. Iruka grabbed a key from his pocket and put it into the key hole. A tiny click was heard as it unlocked. He pushed open the door and stepped back, allowing me to go in first. I nodded a thanks and went in.

His office was tiny but sufficient. In the center of his office stood a table groaning under the many weight of papers and a computer. That was mainly it, though; there was a filing cabinet near the back which was probably the school records and two chairs.

Iruka filed in after me. "Take a seat."

I walked cautiously over to a seat and sat down.

Iruka followed suit as he sat on the chair next to his desk. "Now, Zeni. Are you sure you still want to go through with this? Your former teammates have just been killed and yet you still want to be a ninja. Am I right?"

I nodded. "Yes, I do." It was a lie, though. Just a lie. I wish that I could tell him about how I'm being forced to be a shinobi. But, I knew that if I blabbed, my mom and I would be punished by death.

Of course, my father was well known in Konohagakure. When he died, my mom told everyone he had been ambushed and killed on his way to a mission for the ANBU. And everyone believed her.

"It's your choice," he said gently.

I gulped. "I-I know. I want to go through with it."

"Then let's get started." He leaned forward as he grabbed the mouse of the computer and began clicking and pushing random buttons on the keyboard.

I sat back, minding my own business. After five minutes of nothing but the constant noises coming from the computer, I couldn't stand it anymore. "What team will I be on?" I blurted.

Iruka sat back in his chair. "Wait. Be patient. It is loading."

I bit my lower lip as the same thoughts came to me as before. Would my team like me? Would they find it unacceptable that I was going to be an extra member? Would anyone even care?

There was a small buzz that disturbed my thoughts. I looked up at Iruka-sensei. "What is it? Whose team will I be on?"

Iruka smiled. "Congratulations. You are now the fourth member of Team 7."

I blinked. "And they are?"

"Haruno Sakura. A brainy girl. One of the brightest you'll ever meet," he listed. "There's also Uchiha Sasuke. He is known as the best ninja in the Academy this year. He's quiet, though. And last, but not least, is Uzumaki Naruto. Loud, obnoxious, but a good kid at heart. And his favorite thing in the world is ramen, so never get him to start talking about that."

"I like ramen!" I said happily.

Iruka nodded. "Then I'm sure you two will make the best of friends."

"What about my sensei? Who's he? Or is it a she?" I asked excitedly.

"His name is Hatake Kakashi," Iruka stood up from his chair. "I would like you to wait in the classroom for me for a few minutes."

"Why?"

"I'm going to get your teacher and I'll discuss the situation. Go on now."

I slide out of my seat and jogged excitedly out of the office, towards Iruka-sensei's classroom. Hatake Kakashi. Haruno Sakura. Uchiha Sasuke. Uzumaki Naruto. These people seemed nice. Maybe they would help me make my becoming a shinobi bearable.

**A/N: Sorry for this chapter. This was even more boring then the last one. Next one will be funnier, have more mystery, and action.**

**Reviewer Responses: **

**Neonn: Yeah, this is a lot more serious than I'm used to. I'm glad that you liked it though. Sorry about this chappie. And I'm sorry about Zeni's mom. I didn't intend for her to become freaky. But, now, I'm glad I did. Thanks for the nice comments!**

**BeBeBlu009: Thanks for the compliments! I am very glad you told me about the Mary Sue thing. I had no idea what a real mary sue was until I looked it up on Yahoo!. I'm don't want Zeni to become a mary sue either. She struggles in life, it isn't easy for her and she isn't the best kunochi. Thanks again!**

**sUmbOdi: Yeah, she was wasn't she? Thanks for feeling sorry for Zeni too. She appreciates it. Thanks for the compliments.**

**Kutsu: Thanks! I hope you'll like the next chappie! It's a whole lot better!**

**sangokirara5: Thanks for taking the time to review and for the nice compliment!**

**Demoneyes14: Thank you for taking up my request and reading this fic! Thanks again! And if you didn't get the review before yet, Zeni is not a character. **

**Hey! Thanks for the reviews! Everyone that reviews, I will thank you all at the Reviewer Responses. Thanks everyone! I hope to update soon!**


	3. Introductions to a stranger

**Disclaimer: **just look at chappie 1 or 2

Chapter 3: Introductions to a stranger

A knock came from Iruka's office door. However, Iruka didn't answer it. He was too busy sleeping on his desk to care. It had been three hours ago since he scheduled the appointment with Zeni's soon-to-be sensei.

Getting impatient, the man outside the door walked right in. The man was tall and looked to be in his mid-twenties. He wore his hitai-ate tilted to cover his left eye. He had a mask to cover his face, making him look very mysterious. He ruffled his messy silver hair and made his way to the Chuunin.

"Iruka," the man said, poking Iruka on the shoulder.

Iruka grunted in response.

Again, the man poked him in the shoulder, but this time, with more force, knocking Iruka out of his chair.

Iruka started. "What? Huh?" He looked up. "Kakashi! What'd you do that for?!" he demanded.

Kakashi shrugged. "You were sleeping."

"Well, maybe if someone wasn't late all the time..." Iruka growled.

Kakashi rubbed the back of his head. "Well, you see, there was a little fish that was drowning in the river. Someone had to save him."

Iruka got up and put his arm out in front of Kakashi to silence him. "No time for excuses. Kakashi, do you know what happened to Team 49?"

Kakashi was struck with intreast. "I do. What about them?"

Iruka dug through his pocket and pulled out a picture. He handed it to Kakashi.

Kakashi took it. He looked at it with curiosity. "Is this the one that survived?"

Iruka nodded. "Yes. Her name is Kinieto Zeni."

Kakashi focused his attention back on Iruka. "What does this have to do with Team 7?"

"I must request for her to be put on your team."

Kakashi took a step back in surprise. "Put on my team?"

Iruka plucked the picture from Kakashi's hand. "Yes. Your team was picked randomly."

"But, doesn't she want to wait awhile before going back into training? Wouldn't that be hard on her?"

"That's what I thought. Either she likes to show off, or she's not telling us something. I suspect the latter out of her though. She's a really quiet child. She doesn't talk much."

Kakashi sighed. "You know, by putting her in, you disrupted all my training lessons."

Iruka smiled. "So, you accept her then?"

Kakashi nodded. "Where is she?"

Iruka walked out of his office. "In my classroom. Down the hall. Follow me."

Kakashi followed after him. "But, what about my students? They're expecting me to be at the training grounds!"

"Oh, yes. Well, they should be somewhere in my classroom. I directed them there about half an hour ago. They're there. Don't worry."

* * *

"I wonder who she is." a pink haired ninja wondered aloud as she stared at the sleeping girl. She looked up at a raven haired boy. "Ne, Sasuke-kun, is this the new member of our team?" she asked. 

The boy called Sasuke leaned against a corner in the classroom. He didn't even glance up at her. "Seems to be. Iruka told us that she would be waiting in this same classroom," he continued to stare down at his feet. He took a quick glance at the new girl, and then turned back to his staring of his feet. "Another weakling," he muttered under his breath. "Great. That's all I need to get in my way now."

"I wonder if she'll like the gifts that we'll give her. What do you think, Naruto?" she asked a blonde ninja.

Naruto smiled at her. "Of course she will, Sakura-chan!"

"She looks frail," Sakura mentioned as she continued to examine the new girl. "She doesn't seem to be like the one that would want to become a ninja."

"Looks can be deceiving," a voice said behind her.

Sakura jumped. "Who-" She stopped at the sight of her sensei, Kakashi, behind him was her former teacher, Iruka. "You're late, again," she said giving him a flat stare.

Kakashi chuckled nervously. "So, is this her?" he asked, avoiding the question, as he walked up to the strange girl.

Iruka nodded. "That's her."

"Seems like she needs a wake up call," he said.

"Kakashi-sensei! Don't-" Sakura started.

"WAKE UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" he shouted in the poor girl's ear.

Zeni jumped up in the air and landed on her tail bone. She groaned as she opened one of her eyes. "Who the heck are you?" she growled.

"You will address me as Kakashi-sensei from now on. Do I make myself clear?" the Jounin said.

When she heard this, Zeni blushed furiously and got up on her feet. "I'm so sorry," she said with a bow. "I promise! It'll never happen again! I'll-"

Kakashi waved her off. "I hear you want to be accepted on Team 7. Is this true?"

"Yes, sir," she said straightening.

Kakashi nodded. "Very good. Well, let's start off by introducing you to your new teammates. Sakura, you're up."

**

* * *

Zeni's POV **

A pink haired kunochi skipped up to me, holding a small pink bundle in her hands. She handed it to me. "Hi! I'm Haruno Sakura! Nice to have another girl on the team," she gave me a big smile. "Please, enjoy the gift!"

I nodded slowly as I took the gift from her. "I'm Kinieto Zeni," I replied. "Thanks."

Sakura nodded. She skipped off to Kakashi and Iruka. I placed the gift to the desk next to me. I looked up and saw a boy that looked really familiar, come over to me. Wait, he was the kid that ate my ramen yesterday!

My cheeks burned with anger. The boy seemed to notice this. He hurried his pace until he was half an inch away from my ear. "Forget about yesterday," he whispered. He backed up a step and shoved a package of Top Ramen into my hands. I smiled. This kid didn't seem so bad after all...

"Uzumaki Naruto!" he announced loudly with pride in his voice. So this was the ramen boy Iruka-sensei was talking about.

I couldn't help but smile. "Kinieto Zeni. Thanks for the ramen. I can't wait to eat it!" Naruto gave me a cheesy grin and hurried to go over to Kakashi and the others.

I set Naruto's gift next to Sakura's gift. Curiosity seeped through me as my eyes wandered the room, trying to find a glimpse of Uchiha Sasuke, my other teammate. Something moved from the shadows.

A boy with raven black hair strode towards me, carrying a little box. His head was bowed as he fingered the package. At last, he finally came up to me. He raised his head.

A gasp escaped from me. I quickly put my hand to my mouth. I didn't mean to gasp. But, he looked so much like _him_...

The boy did notice. A tinge of red from embarrassment spread his face. He darted his eyes away from mine. "My name is Uchiha Sasuke," he said coldly, trying hard to ignore the gasp that came from me. He gave a slight nod, which I figured was his way of bowing.

I studied his eyes. His eyes weren't crimson, but they still had that deathly uncaring look. It couldn't be him...it just couldn't. Plus, he looked like he looked to be my age. The man that killed my father was probably around twenty. But, still...

Sasuke handed out his gift, waiting for me to take it. I didn't. After a moment's silence, he looked at me. "Take it," he said impatiently.

I wanted to run away, to get away from him as far as possible. But, my feet would not allow me to budge.

"Take it," he repeated.

Maybe, if I took it from him, he would leave me alone. I snatched it from him. "K-Kinieto Zeni," I stuttered.

He gave me a look that clearly said 'freak' all over it, and walked away.

I stared after him. How could he look just like _him_...?

My thoughts were disrupted as someone put their hand on my shoulder. I looked up, relieved. Kakashi-sensei looked down at me. A could tell that a smile came from under his mask. "Shall we start your training?" he asked.

I nodded.

**Reviewer Responses:**

**sUmbOdi: **Yeah, it is pretty early in the morning, isn't it? I'm glad you liked the last chapter. I thought it was a bit of a dud...:P Thanks for the compliments and the review! Hoped you enjoyed this chappie! D

**Demoneyes 14: **Thanks for the compliments and the review. I'm sorry that I'm making you wait so long for this story to be updated! So, you're making a sequel? Yay! More Linkin Park! More Linkin Park! More Linkin Park! I'll be watching out for that.

**swt-angel-babi3: **Thanks for your review! Hoped you enjoyed this chappie!

A/N: I'm so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so sorry about the long update! Please don't hurt me! This is my only story that I'm writing for fanfiction that I actually have to plan out every step.

So, do you guys know who the killer is? I hope I threw in enough clues without totally giving it away. I know some of you only read the manga from Shonen Jump so you wouldn't know unless you've read fanfiction about him. I'm sure you heard of him before...if not, I'd appreciate it if you told me. That way, I can straighten things out.

Please R&R! The more reviews I get, the faster I'll update!


	4. A Gennin's chores and peppermints

**Just a quick author's note, when I put this up, I forgot to add a few things to this chapter...so I've added new stuff (only like, a few words). It really doesn't matter if you've read it already or not. I just did it so I could clear Sasuke's and Zeni's conversation up a little. Little mistakes always get to me. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: **Check out the disclaimer on either Chapters 1 or 2

Chapter 4: A Gennin's chores and peppermints

"Okay team. Let's see what we have on our wonderful list of tasks today..." Kakashi said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a list.

We were on the bridge waiting for Kakashi-sensei to give out what we were to do for today. I stood between Sakura and Naruto. I didn't want to be anywhere that Uchiha kid. I figured, if I stayed away from him, he wouldn't speak to me or pay any attention to me. So far, it's worked. But, then again, he hasn't been paying attention to anyone except for Kakashi-sensei.

Kakashi cleared his throat. "First of all, we need to split into partners so we can get this done faster. Naruto, Sakura, you'll be in one group. Sasuke, Zeni, you'll be in the other."

My heart dropped to the pit of my stomach. Great. Just great. Why did I have to be paired up with him?!

"Hey, Sakura-chan! We get to be partners!" Naruto cheered.

Sakura sighed and looked longingly over at Sasuke. Sasuke didn't look up.

"Sakura and Naruto, I'm counting on you two to baby-sit the kids down at the Konoha nursery."

Sakura sighed again and let herself be dragged away by Naruto to the nursery.

Kakashi looked at me and Sasuke. "You guys will walk the dogs at Konoha's shelter, twice around the city. See ya," he said as he disappeared up in smoke.

Great! Now I'm left here with that Sasuke! I thought bitterly. Could it get any worse?

"Hey," Sasuke said, getting my attention. "Are you coming or not?" he asked as he walked off the bridge and towards the inner part of town.

"C-coming!" I called. I ran after him, determined not to be left alone.

* * *

We walked down the streets, holding about three dog leashes each. I held onto mine tight. We had been walking for about twenty minutes and we weren't even a quarter of the way around Konoha yet.

I didn't dare speak. He seemed so cold and distant. Not that I was sad or anything that we didn't speak, but I think I'd rather talk to someone I hardly knew then listen to dogs pant and bark.

Besides, the kid creeped me out, but, at the same time, he didn't. What was going on? Why on earth does he look like my father's killer? Could my father's killer have had a kid? No, that wasn't possible. The killer was too young. Why, then? Why does he resemble-

"What happened to your team?"

I shook my head to clear my thoughts. "Huh?" I asked stupidly.

"I said what happened to your team? Why are you on ours?" Sasuke asked stiffly.

I smiled inwardly. Even though he sounded cold and uncaring, underneath all that, he sounded like a normal kid. Not a killer. Not a murderer. I shrugged. "I really don't know the details. They were killed while they were out training one morning, at least, that's what I was told."

"Hn," he grunted. "If your whole team was killed, then how is it that you're still living?"

"I had the flu that day. My mom wouldn't let me go to training," I replied. "They went without me."

"Oh."

We stopped talking for a moment. We continued to walk, minding our own business. Then-

"What was your name again?" he asked.

"Kinieto Zeni."

"Kinieto? Name sounds familiar."

I giggled a bit, as I put one of my hands on my head. "Yeah, my dad was pretty popular. I wouldn't be surprised, being an ANBU member and all that," I said.

"Was?" he questioned.

Shoot. I should've thought before I spoke. Why did I let my guard down? Was I softening up? I cursed myself. How could've I been so careless? I ignored the error and waved it off. "Yeah."

"What is his name?"

I decided to counter. Out of all people, he was the last person I wanted to tell what happened to my father, but I couldn't discuss anything about his death so it didn't really matter. "Why are you asking so many questions about me?" I asked as I put my arm down.

Sasuke shrugged. "I dunno. Just curious."

"Curious?" Why was he curious all of a sudden about me? What did I do to attract his attention?

_Maybe, he turned his attention to you because you were not trying to attract his attention,_ a voice within me said.

_Shut up,_ I answered back inside my head.

"Yeah, just curious..."

* * *

I lazily walked up the stairs to my apartment, carrying the gifts my new teammates gave to me. It had been a long day. Once we were done walking the dogs, we had to weed in some old lady's garden who kept on yelling at me that I was tearing out things other than weeds. After that, Sasuke and I had to help grade some of Iruka-sensei's papers from his students. Man, did he have a lot of students.

I passed a window. It was dark. Maybe about nine at night. Twelve hours of doing pointless work. We didn't even train to become ninjas! I did hear Naruto scoffing at the Ichiraku (that's where the team met up at midday to have lunch) about me not having to do a test that Kakashi gave to him, Sakura, and Sasuke. He said it was unfair. Apparently, the test that they had to do was pretty hard.

I put my key into the lock and opened up the door to my home. "Mom?" I called. "I'm home!"

Mom sat on the couch, with a bored look on her face. She looked up at me and her face brightened. "Zeni!" she said happily. She jumped off the couch and embraced me. "So, how was it?"

"Just dandy," I replied, in a sarcastic tone. _Why did I have a person like him on my team? He looked just like father's killer!_ I began to rant inside my head,

She let go of me. A show of concern grew on her face. "Zeni, what's wrong?"

I began to walk to my room. "Nothing," I muttered. I walked into my bedroom and slammed the door shut. I dumped the gifts onto my bed. I picked each one up and examined them.

The little pink package was Sakura-chan's. I picked it up and unwrapped it. A box? I opened it up. Inside, was a pink diamond hanging from a small silver chain. I smiled as I put it around my neck.

I didn't bother to open Naruto-kun's gift, since he never took the time to wrap it and I could plainly see it was ramen. Maybe I'll eat it later tonight.

Now, was Sasuke's gift. I took it with trembling hands and stared at it. It was wrapped in plain brown paper, nothing special about it at all. Carefully, I began to unwrap it. When it was done, I placed the paper on my bed and stared at the object in my hand. "Candy?" I asked to the object.

In my hand was a little bag full of red and white peppermints. I loved peppermints! Was this a coincidence that he gave me my favorite candies? I used to eat these all the time when I was little. Now I'm really freaked out.

Why peppermints? He doesn't seem like the kid that would be giving out candy. I stared at them for a moment, then placed it on my dresser.

I grabbed Naruto-kun's ramen gift and left the room, heading towards the kitchen.

**Reviewer Responses:**

**Hisoka316: **You can see a SasukeXOC pairing coming on? Yeah, it seems to be leaning towards that direction. Maybe it'll happen. As things are leading right now, it most likely will. Thanks for the review!

**Anna: **Hey, glad you liked it! And thanks for reading 'Where our Hearts Lie'. I'm glad you enjoyed it too! Thanks for the review!

**lukeluke: **The reason why I say those things is because; I'm pretty hard on myself with critiquing my work. I always find something wrong or out of place. I'm glad you liked it though! : D Thanks for putting my story on your favorites list! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

**swt-angel-babi3: **Yep! You got it right! He is the killer! Thanks for the compliments! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

**Akari Kametsura: **Yeah, you guessed right. Thanks for telling me that my story's really detailed and all. That made me very happy! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

**Legna03: **Thanks for the compliments! They were happy! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

**Monkey Shoes: **Thanks for the nice compliments! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

**sUmbOdi: **Glad you liked the last chapter! And about your question...I honestly don't know. I wanted Zeni to pair up with Naruto at first, but now, it seems like Sasuke and her will be the most likely pairing. Hope that helps! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Hey guys! I hope you guys liked this chapter! Thank you SO much in encouraging me to continue! Yay! Kudos for you! Wow! Look! I actually updated on this fic within a week instead of a month! Go me!

One quick thing about last chapter. In Japan, you give people gifts instead of them giving gifts to you. For example, if you moved to a new home, you would bake cookies or something and give them out to your neighbors. I'm sorry for the screw up, but I really wanted to put the gift giving part in there. So, don't flame me for that, please.

Please R&R! The more reviews I get, the faster I'll update! Hope to see you soon!


	5. Looking for Zeni's Apartment

**Disclaimer: **Check out the disclaimer on either Chapter 1 or 2

Chapter 5: Looking for Zeni's Apartment

"I'll get it!" yelled Mom once the doorbell rang.

I rolled out of bed and landed with a thud. I moaned as I put my hand on my head. "Who would be up this early?" I growled. "It's a Saturday!"

"Zeni! Door!"

I got myself up and headed downstairs. Who could it be? I swear, once I find out who it is, I'm gonna give them -

"Hey, Zeni!"

I blinked. "What are you doing here?"

Sakura blinked back. "Why are you still your pajamas? It's six o' clock."

"And…?" I asked, leaving the sentence to hang in the air. "People are usually asleep at this hour."

"Don't you want to get dressed?"

"Dressed?" I repeated stupidly back.

Sakura tried to hold in her laughter. "Training!"

I clenched my fists as I ran up the stairs. Training? Training at this hour?! Our sensei must be crazy! Hasn't he heard the word sleep and weekends? What kind of a sensei is he?!

I slid into my room and quickly dressed. I went over to my mirror and got my shuriken and kunai pouches. I noticed Sakura-chan's necklace from the night before. I quickly put it on.

I skipped a few stairs at a time and came face to face with Sakura. Sakura let out a low whistle. "Wow. That was fast."

I nodded. I took a step out of the door, Sakura followed. "Bye, Mom! I'm gonna go training!" I slammed the door. We began the journey down the stairs of the apartment.

* * *

Sasuke was leaning against the tree, pure boredom was etched across his face. He looked at Naruto. "Do you think Sakura found the apartment yet?" 

Naruto looked at the sky. "I dunno."

Sasuke sighed. "We better find her ourselves then."

"Hey, I have an idea! How about you find her, while I get some ramen for us to eat later!"

"Fine. Do you know where Zeni lives?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, she told me yesterday. It's the apartment building on the left side of the grocery store. Her room number is 528."

Sasuke nodded. "Thanks, all right, let's go."

* * *

Sakura examined the walls while walking down the stairs. "So, this is where you live?" 

I shrugged. "It has been for the past year. Hey, how come you knew where I lived?"

"Hokage-sama wanted me to get you to training earlier, so you wouldn't be as late as Kakashi-sensei. So, he gave me your address so I could come and get you."

I rubbed my eyes and yawned. We walked in silence for a moment, with only our feet hitting the stairs to be heard. That's when an idea struck me. I turned to Sakura. "Ne, you know Sasuke, right?"

Sakura lifted an eyebrow. "Yeah…"

"Does he seem quiet to you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why is he so quiet?"

Sakura shrugged. "He's always been the calm and cool type. He never did like to talk much. But it gives him a mysterious air. I guess that's the reason why I like him so much!" she said flashing a smile.

I focused my eyes on the ground. "Oh."

"But, one thing has been bothering me."

I lifted my head up. "What is it?"

"You weren't there on the day that we first go together as a team. Kakashi-sensei took us out on the bridge so we could introduce ourselves. Kakashi went first, then Naruto, and then me. Then, it was Sasuke-kun's turn. He began to talk about killing a man. I don't know the man who he was talking about. In fact, he never even stated his name. I've never feared Sasuke-kun before. Never. This was the only time when I was really afraid of him," she chuckled a little bit. "Why am I telling you this? Just forget about it."

"But," I didn't get a chance to say anything, because, at that moment, I fell on someone. I picked myself up. "Shoot, I'm sorry! I missed the last step and I-AUGHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

I had landed on Sasuke! When did he get here? His face turned beet red in embarrassment.

Naruto walked into the apartment building, carrying his big bag of ramen that he got at the grocery store. "Hey, Sasuke! I'm back! Did you find her-"

"We're right here," Sakura said, a little bit shocked.

Naruto looked down. He smiled and began to laugh out loud.

Sasuke turned red as ever. "Naruto, shut up," he said through gritted teeth.

I scrambled up off him. "Are you alright? I didn't hurt you, did I? I'm sorry! Please-"

Sakura helped Sasuke up. Once he stood, he held up a hand. I fell silent.

He turned his back on me. "C'mon. Kakashi should be there by now."

We left, single file, with me right behind Sasuke. I examined the back of his head. His ears and neck were still burning.

I still didn't get it. So, Sasuke has an ambition to kill? I wonder whom. But, he didn't strike me as the killing type. Sakura was right though, about the calm and cool personality. Maybe that's the reason why he looks so cute. What am I saying? Nu-uh! No way could I ever be attracted to this kid! Never! I have got to keep my mind focused on my training!

I bit my lip.

Why am I so confused? I mean, Sasuke looks like the killer.

_But, just because he looks like him, doesn't mean he has played the part_, commented the voice in my head.

I sighed inwardly. _That was true._

_Give him a chance._

_Give him a chance?_ I asked.

_Maybe you'll grow to like him._

_Maybe,_ I said, starting to give in.

_But, keep your guard up._

_I will, _I replied.

I walked out into the streets of Konoha with confidence.

**Reviewer Responses:**

**swt-angel-babi3: **Yeah, they are yummy, huh? I LOVE your story! It's so cute! Please update soon on it! Thanks for all the nice compliments!

**lukeluke: **Thanks for the compliments! I hoped you enjoyed this chapter!

**sUmbOdi: **LOL! No prob. Thanks for the nice compliments! I hoped you enjoyed this chapter!

**Anna: **Yes, I know it's uncharastic for him to be giving out candy. But there's a reason for this, which all the readers will find out sometime (don't know when). Yeah, I agree, a variety of girls (not fangirls) for Sasuke would be nice. I dislike yaoi too. Thanks for the nice compliments!

**Monkey Shoes: **LOL! So do I!

**x0-Summer-aurora-0x: **Thanks for your compliments and if all goes well, that will be what the pairing will be.

**Legna03: **Thanks! I'm glad you like it! Thanks for your nice compliments!

**Neonn: **Yes, agreed. Unhappy is happy. I think it's really cruel for our friend to throw peppermints in random places and expect us to fight over them. LOL! Naw, it's fun!

**One Azn Dragon: **Thanks again! And you better update soon!

**Demoneyes14: **Thanks for your nice compliments and I'm sorry that you're grounded. That must be the pits. When will you be coming out with your sequel? I really wanna know!

Okay. First things first. I'm sorry if Sakura seemed a little bit OOC to you. I tried to potray her as the best I could. So, please, no flames on that.

Now, here is a question for all of you: Who would you like to see Zeni be paired up with? I'm ALMOST positive it's gonna be Sasuke, but what do you guys think? No, this isn't a vote, I just want to see what you guys want to see. Okay? Thanks!

I'm sorry for being a slow updater on this fic. I've hardly had anything posted this month, so don't think I'm abandoning this ficcy. There's so much planning ahead in this fic, so I guess that's what's been taking me so long. Sorry!

Remember, the more reviews I get, the faster I'll update!


	6. Unexpected Visitors

**I tried to stretch this chapter out as long as I could, at least it is longer than the last chapter! Also, once you are done reading this, look at the bottom! I got a question!**

**Disclaimer: **refer to chapters 1 or 2

Chapter 6: Unexpected visitors

**Thump.**

_Mom? What's she doing up? It's about two in the morning. Could she be sick?_

I strained my ears. _Muffled voices?_ My mom and I live alone. Could it be one of the neighbors? No, you couldn't hear anything through the thick apartment walls. And it definitely could not be a TV. We don't own one. Who or what could it be?

I threw my covers off of me and got out of my bed. As soon as my toes touched the hard wood floor, I went to my dresser and grabbed a kunai. I swiftly went downstairs.

I began to go slower, until I was tip toeing, when I heard multiple voices and whimpering. A chill went down my spine. Could it be robbers? I pulled out the kunai and held it close. Though it wasn't much, at least it gave me a sense of protection.

I finished going down the stairs, I began to make my way to Mom's room. I stopped just before her door, just enough so no one could see me. I didn't try to leer around the door, that would be taking too many risks. Instead, I waited, trying to take in every word.

"Itachi-dono, why don't we search the place? It'd be a lot faster," said a cautious voice.

"No."

Cold air seeped through my lungs. I recognized that voice. My heart began to beat so fast that I thought for sure that it was going to attract the attention of the uninvited guests. I leaned against the wall for support. If I didn't act now, Mom might get hurt, and then, I wouldn't have anyone anymore. But, I'm too afraid. What if they kill me? What should I do? I gripped the kunai so hard that my knuckles turned white.

"She must learn," the voice continued. "Where is the troublesome incapable-ninja brat?!"

"Please...not Zeni," a barely audible voice whispered.

Mom!

"Answer me!" he roared.

"Zeni..."

I heard a body fall heavily to the floor, as it had been pushed with a strong force.

Tears began to spring into my eyes. My mom needed help, and here I was, in the shadows, cowering. I was afraid to die.

"Tell me! Do you wish to die like your husband?!"

"N-no," Mom said.

"Tell me or I will kill you both!"

"I-"

"Answer Itachi-dono!" the first man spat.

"Kisame, leave this to me," Itachi-dono said calmly. "Now, woman, tell me!"

"Don't hurt her, please. She's the only one I have," she sobbed.

"Do not put me in the middle of your family affairs! Tell me!"

"She-she's upstairs...please, don't hurt her...please."

I heard the second man chuckle. "Oh, is that so? Now, that wasn't so hard, was it? But, actually, I believe she is outside of the door this very minute. Shall we invite her in?"

Mom's sobbing grew harder.

My heart stopped. So he knew I was here all along. Ice rushed into my veins. I needed to run! But where? I placed one foot in front of mine slowly. But, before I could get even four paces far, a clammy hand wrapped around my neck. It wrenched me upward. I felt my back slam against the wall, so that I could face my assailant.

A man with distorted features on his that resembled a shark, smiled up at me. "We have been anxiously waiting to talk to you, Kinieto Zeni."

A broke out into a sweat. The shark-man didn't know that I held the kunai in my hand. I raised it into the air and brought it down across his face. He released me as he clutched his face with his hands. One of his hands flew out at me, smacking the kunai from my hand. He crumpled to the floor. I stood over him, not knowing where to go, where to hide. I began to make my way to the front door, but something grabbed my pant leg.

I shrieked when I saw the shark-man's bloody face. "Shut up, brat!" he snarled. "Come back!"

"Kisame!" a voice commanded. Kisame let go as he heard his master's voice. I crumpled to the floor, sobbing.

"Quiet, girl," said the voice. "Look up at me."

I couldn't do anything but obey. I slowly brought myself to look into his blood red eyes.

The man looked down at me. "Beg. Beg for your forgiveness."

"I'm sorry, Master," I whispered.

"Louder."

"I'm sorry, Master," I repeated, but louder as tears began going down my face.

"Good, now then, let us take care of important matters," he smiled as he kneeled beside me. "I believe Iruka-san put you on Team 7, am I mistaken?"

"No, sir," I mumbled, keeping my head down.

"Good, it's always nice to know that computers are so easy to deal with."

I looked up, confused.

"How else were you supposed to get on the team? We killed your first team because you were no use to us if you trained with them. You needed to be on Team 7."

I lowered my head, the tears flowing faster. So, it was my fault.

He put his hand under my chin, forcing me to look upward into his face. "Now, girl, listen to me carefully, unless you want your mother to be taken away too. There is a boy on your team named Uzamaki Naruto, correct?"

I bit my bottom lip. "Yes, sir," I mumbled.

"That boy is very special. I want you to keep him...preserved, until I come to you again, you understand that?"

"Yes, sir."

He stood up. "We must take our leave. Kisame?"

Kisame came up, still holding his face. "Yes, Itachi-dono."

Itachi smiled. "Let's go." He went over to the front door and opened it. He let Kisame go first. Then, he turned towards me, bowing mockingly. "Farewell, daughter of the famous Kinieto."

He turned to leave through the door too, but then, he turned back. "I also understand that Uchiha Sasuke is on your team. Tell him, that his brother is impatiently waiting for him to grow stronger."

And with that, he went out the door, and closed it, locking it behind him.

**Reviewer Responses:**

**XoXSilverDragonXoX: **I'm glad that you like it so far! And I'm glad that you told me your favorite pairing for this fic! Thanks for the happy compliments! And, happy belated Halloween to you too!

**Demoneyes14: **LOL! You remember the part where Sasuke tells Naruto to shut up in the last chapter? Well, Naruto was singing that same song! But I forgot to put it in there...oh well! Still funny!

**swt-angel-babi: **By action, what do you mean? I'm glad you like her personality! When are you gonna update! And yes, there will be pairings...

**lukeluke: **Yeah, it was short, but I really wanted to update, so yeah. Thanks for your happy compliments! Was this fast enough for an update?

**Monkey Shoes: **Thanks for the happy compliments!

**ALL RIGHTY! NOW IT'S MY TURN! Finally, I thought I'd never get to this chapter...whoosh...and I updated a lot faster! w00t for me! Now, the people that are waiting for me to update on my other fics, have probably thought I've been neglecting them! **

**Okay, I have a question, so if Sasuke and Zeni are gonna pair up, then what do you think if Sakura pairs up with Lee and Naruto with Hinata? Even if it's a bit early? So, tell me what you guys think!**

**I'm sorry if Itachi and Kisame sounded OOC, but I tried my best.**

**Well, until next chapter, farewell my friends!**

**The more reviews I get, the quicker I will post!**


	7. A different kind of mission

**Okay, peoples, apparently, people haven't been getting to this chapter for good ol' reading. So, I'm posting this one back up. When you see an updated story but can't see the new chapter, simply change the chapter number in the url to the new one. Like, let's say I have updated to chapter 8 and the farthest fanfiction would let you go to was 7, just go up to the weblink and change 7 to 8. Okeydokeyday? All right, let's move on, shall we?**

**Disclaimer: **check chapters 1 or 2. Oh! But the referrals I got on here are from the manga on Narutochuushin. Website's on my bio if you wanna check it out!

Chapter 7: A Differen Kind of Mission

"I also understand that Uchiha Sasuke is on your team. Tell him, that his brother is impatiently waiting for him to grow stronger."

That phrase has been playing over and over in my head since last night. I wasn't able to sleep at all since they left. I went to my mother to check on her, but she hid herself in her room and continued to sob. I couldn't take it anymore. I got dressed and got my gear and left, heading over to the bridge where Team 7 meets each day and sat, pondering what I should do.

"I also understand that Uchiha Sasuke is on your team. Tell him, that his brother is impatiently waiting for him to grow stronger."

I sighed. I want to get to the bottom of this so badly that I was ready to take a risk in talking to Sasuke. I have finally made up my mind. I would talk to Sasuke as soon as I saw him.

Steps came up behind me. The person, whoever it was, sat next to me. I turned my head slightly. Speak of the devil. It was him.

"What are you doing here? Training doesn't start till thirty minutes," he said.

I gulped and turned to him. "Sasuke, I need to talk to you."

He gazed in my direction, his eyes bore into mine. "What?"

"Somebody visited my apartment last night."

He simply stared at me, waiting for me to continue.

I gulped again. "Sasuke, could you keep a promise? I mean, you swear you won't repeat this to anyone? I could get in a lot of trouble. I really need to tell someone about this. And I feel that you're the right person to tell this to, even though you may not like me much."

He seemed to be taken aback, but he nodded slightly. "I promise."

I took a deep breath. Everything, everyone could be in jeopardy. I was about to repeat the phrase that I had done so many times in my head. That was before Kakashi-sensei showed up with both Naruto and Sakura beside him. Stupid bakas. Why did they have to come now?!

Kakashi held up a hand in greeting. "Yo."

I glared at him. "Training doesn't start till thirty more minutes," I said, remembering Sasuke's statement.

"Well, that was before I found out that we were assigned a secret mission."

Naruto began to bounce up and down. "YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A MISSION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" he yelled as he punched the air.

Sasuke tilted his head. He didn't seem at all fazed by it.

Sakura began to look nervous.

I, however, didn't care. I wasn't in the happiest of moods right now.

Kakashi leaned into our little group. "Now here is what you must do..."

* * *

"What's the distance to the target?" Kakashi asked through the headset. 

"Five meters," Naruto said through his head set. "I'm ready at any time."

Sasuke nodded. "So am I."

Sakura's eyes narrowed. "Me too."

When I didn't reply, Kakashi asked, "Zeni?"

I got into a position to pounce. "Same here."

"GO!" Kakashi yelled.

We pounced on our victim, never even letting it have a single chance to escape. However, Naruto had the honor of getting to it first. "Gotcha!" he yelled.

I sweat dropped at the thing Naruto held up. "A cat?"

Naruto squinted up at me. "Weren't you listening to Kakashi-sensei?"

"I must've dozed off," I shrugged.

Kakashi sighed. "Ribbon on left ear...are you sure this is our target, Tora?" he asked through the headset.

Sasuke rolled his eyes at Naruto and mine's conversation. "Yeah, we're sure."

The cat scratched Naruto in the face. "STUPID CAT!"

Sakura couldn't hold in her laughter. I tried to smile, but the events that happened a few hours earlier restricted me to.

I heard Kakashi chuckle through my headset. "Good. Lost Pet 'Tora' Mission is COMPLETE!"

* * *

We walked into the Hokage's meeting room for another so called 'mission'. Man, this sucked.

Naruto walked over to a plump woman, carrying Tora at arm's length. He handed the cat over to her. The lady snatched the cat away from him and began to give the feline a heartwarming hug. So heartwarming that the cat's eyes were bulging out of it's head. _Serves it right_, I thought.

We looked to Hokage to see what we needed to do next. Iruka appeared beside him and handed him a paper. Iruka took a seat next to the Hokage. The Hokage cleared his throat. "Now, Kakashi's Team 7, your next duties are to baby sit an elder's grandson, shopping in the neighboring village, and help with the potato digging."

I groaned. Man, this SO sucked.

"NO!!! NO!!! NO!!! No, thank you!!!" we all turned to see Naruto complaining. Naruto's eyes shone bright. "I want to do, you know, a more incredible mission! Find us a better one!"

Silently, we Gennins agreed with the blonde.

Iruka got up from his seat, anger rising. "You idiot! You are just a Gennin! Everyone starts off with the simple duties and work their ways up!" Whoa, I've never seen him that angry before.

"We keep getting the crappiest duties, though!" Naruto whined.

Finally, Kakashi-sensei had enough and bopped Naruto on the head. "Be quiet," he hissed.

The Hokage sighed and took his pipe out of his mouth. He began to talk about all the levels of 'missions' and how dangerous it was and how would we could all get ourselves killed and on and on.

Suddenly, Naruto burst out exactly what I was feeling. "Geez! All you do is give us lectures like that! But, you know what? I'm not the trouble making brat you still think I am!"

That was when Hokage and Iruka both smiled. "Ok," Hokage said.

We all looked at him, surprised.

He continued, "If you want it that much I'll give you a C rank mission. It's a protection mission of a certain individual."

Naruto began to bounce up and down, once again. "Who?! Who?! A Feudal Lord? A princess?"

Hokage smirked. "Calm down. I'm about to introduce him," he raised his voice a little. "Hey, will you come in here?"

An old man stepped out, downing sake. I looked at him in disgust. This was the 'super' mission? Was the Hokage crazy? The man looked at all of us in his drunken state. "They're all a bunch of kids," he slurred. He gazed in Naruto's direction and let the bottle loose in his hand. "Especially the shortest one, with the dumb look on his face."

Naruto chuckled and tried to look for the shortest one of us 'kids'. We moved in closer, showing who was the shortest. Naruto glared at the man. "I'LL KILL YOU!!!!!!"

Kakashi held Naruto by the collar of his jacket, preventing Naruto from tackling the old man. "What's the point of killing the person, we're supposed to protect. Idiot!"

The old man took a step forward. "I am the super expert bridge builder Tazuna. I expect you to provide me super protection until I get back to my country and complete the bridge."

I stomped up to the Hokage, until I was inches to his nose. "Are you kidding?!" I hissed quietly, so only he and Iruka heard me. "This man is a crazy old drunk! How do you expect us to protect him?!"

Hokage settled in his seat. "I don't expect you to do anything, Zeni. But, I can tell you, if you do not complete this mission, there will be nothing but D missions that you can acquire until you are twenty."

I clenched my hands into fists. _Were all ninjas this crazy?_

* * *

After that, we all gathered outside of the building and onto one of the streets of Konohagakure. Kakashi rubbed the back of his head. "Okay, team, hurry up and get your stuff packed and tell your folks good bye. Meet me at the regular training grounds in an hour."

We each nodded and headed off to each one of our homes.

And, it was when I went into my apartment that I regretted ever talking to Sasuke.

**Reviewer Responses:**

**swt-angel-babi3:**Wahoo! You updated! I'm so happy! Ok, I don't understand still about 'excitement'. Do you mean comedy? Fighting? And you want Kaka/Saku? K, I'll think about it. Can't make any promises though. Thanks for pointing out my mistakes! Sorry about that! Anyways, thanks for the happy compliments.

**lukeluke:** Thanks for the happy compliments! And thanks for having confidence in me with the pairings and telling me it's MY story!

**MokeyShoes:** Nope, no pairings yet. Soon, though, soon (at least, I hope.). But, I agree with you on Sakura.

**Demoneyes14:**Thanks for the happy compliments! Neji thought, huh? Thanks! I'll keep that in mind!

**krn-kimbap:** Thanks for taking the offer up of reading my story! Glad you've been liking it so far! Naru/Saku? Hmm...ok! I'll keep that in mind too! Thanks!

**Okay, so there's apparently something wrong, judging how the last sentence was, eh? Well, only I know what happens! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Next update will probably be towards the end of the month, but I could write a new chapter before then, so be on the lookout!**

**And about the pairings with Sakura and Naruto...I still hafta think on those. They might not even have a pairing.**

**Remember, the more reviews I get, the faster the next chappie will be up! See ya then!**


	8. a Nightmare and the Beginning

**Disclaimer: **Refer to chapters1 and 2

Chapter 8: A Nightmare and the Beginning

I shoved the key roughly inside of the lock and opened it. Instead of the comforting, familiar air inside the apartment, it felt rough and dark.

I stepped in. There were no lights on either. That was strange. Even though Mom worked at the bakery from six AM to noon, she'd usually leave the curtains open, letting the sun through. Plus, she was in no condition to go to work since this morning.

I took another cautious step forward. "Mom?" I asked.

Nothing, not even a rustle.

I took another step inside, now I was fully in our apartment and not at all outside. "Mom?" I asked, a little louder.

A wind blew from nowhere and slammed the door shut behind me. I jumped, thinking it was just the wind. But, then again, none of the windows and curtains were open. The swamp cooler wasn't on either; it was in the middle of spring. Also, the weather outside was bright and sunny.

I began to sweat. I reached my pant leg and pulled out a kunai from my kunai holder. "Mom?!"

Suddenly, a light turned on. It was the reading lamp that was placed near the arm chair. "Nervous, are we, Zeni?" said the all too familiar voice.

I gasped when I saw Itachi sitting in the armchair with an insane smile stretched across his pale face. "What-what are you-you-" I stammered. I let go of the kunai. It clattered to the ground.

Itachi got up and glided over to me. He placed his hands on my shoulders. I would've moved, but fear did not allow me to do so. He shook his head. "Zeni, Zeni, don't be afraid. This was all for your own good."

I looked at him puzzled. I had no idea what was going on, but all the same, a chill ran down my spine.

"Now, Zeni, you must understand," he said in his silky voice. "Everything has consequences, and this morning you were not a good girl." He heaved a sigh, as though this was hard for him to tell me this. "When you do something wrong, you should be punished, right?"

I nodded slowly. "Yes, sir," I said meekly.

"Then you agree with your punishment."

"Yes, sir."

"Now, do not say anything of this again. Even if you slightly say something about us, you will be in jeopardy. We don't want you to get into anymore trouble, now do we? Remember our promise: do not tell anyone the truth."

Sasuke. That was it. I was about to tell him, but Kakashi and Sakura stopped me. I felt like a child, being told off for breaking a window or something. "I will."

Itachi frowned. "Be glad that we spared your life and took another's."

Another's? Who did he kill in my place? I mentally shook myself. It didn't matter now. All that mattered was to keep me and Mom safe.

Itachi led me over to the couch and sat me down. He, however, didn't make a move to sit down. His eyes shone brightly. "Remember Zeni, I-no, we are always watching you. We take care of you. All we ask in return is for you to sacrifice a little of your time to become a ninja. You aren't trying hard enough. You need to keep on trying. I don't care how much this exhausts you but you need to do what we ask you. It's for your own good," he repeated.

I looked away from him. How dare he try to comfort me? How dare he try and act as though he has protected me? He didn't even raise his voice.

He seemed to know exactly what was on my mind. "Your father was a traitor. He did not love you. He never did. If he really did, then do you think he would go against the Akatsuki and leave your Mom and you like this?"

"N-no, sir."

"Good. Now let me here you say that he was a traitor. I need to hear it from you."

Without hesitation, I said, "My father was a traitor."

He patted my head. "Good girl. Now, enjoy the gift that I left you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must meet Kisame," he bowed. "We will meet again. And it will be sooner than you think. Farewell."

With a swish of his cloak he vanished. I sat there for a few minutes, trying to absorb all that had happened. He had come to my house again...and then there was this punishment he kept on ranting on about...who could he have kill- "MOM!" I yelled.

I jumped up from the couch and ran down the hall to her bedroom. The door was still closed. I furrowed my eyebrows and opened the door. A gasp escaped from me. There was Mom, facing upwards on her bed. I rushed to her and wrapped my arms around her. "Mom...Mom..." I pleaded. "Don't leave me! Please...don't!" I cried through my tears. I forced myself to look in her eyes. They were open and seemed to be screaming. How did Itachi kill her? There was no blood. Maybe it had to do something with those eyes of his.

I sat there, sobbing for I don't know how long. But, after awhile, I picked myself up and as hard as it was, headed to my bedroom.

My hands shook as I got my backpack out and began to load extra clothes and food in it. This was quickly done within a minute. I quickly threw it on. But, before I headed downstairs, I grabbed Sasuke's peppermints and the necklace that Sakura gave me (I take my jewelry off every night, before I get to bed.).

I went back into Mom's room, my eyes downcast. I kneeled beside the bed and began to quietly sob again. "Mom?" I asked. "What am I doing here? I'm no ninja. I'm weak. I have no courage. You were the one that pushed me along. Now, where do I go? What do I do?"

Mom's body stayed still. I bowed my head and kissed her cheek. "Forgive me. I thought it was for the best. I didn't think."

I got up and looked at her. Her brown hair was messy and untidy as though she had put up a struggle. Her mouth was still agape, as if she had been screaming.

Now, there was nothing more Itachi could take away from me. Nothing mattered anymore.

_But-what about Team 7?_ The voice within my head asked softly.

I slowly nodded. How could I have been so stupid? Though I have only known them for about a week, I still thought of them as my friends.

That was when I decided. I need to protect those I love from this same fate. With a determined face, I untied my hitai-ate from my neck and put it on my forehead. I tied it there, securely.

I grabbed a kunai from its pouch and with the other hand, I put my hair up in a ponytail. Closing my eyes, I slashed the kunai through it. Weight lifted from my head. I put my hair down.

I slowly walked over to the mirror that Mom always kept in her bedroom and stared into it. My twin had now, short, messy hair that went a little bit further down than her ears. Her eyes weren't dull anymore, now they had a new life in them, anger and hate. And her hitai-ate was shown, tied around her forehead, not fearing to show the world what she has become: a ninja.

And turned from the mirror and to Mom. "Goodbye," I said quietly. I walked out of her room, but left the door ajar.

I walked to the front door and went outside. I quietly closed the door behind me and locked it

I didn't fret about Mom's body. A maid comes by every few days to clean the apartment. She has her own key, and I am pretty sure that she will have no trouble finding Mom.

* * *

"There you are! Where've you been?!" Naruto asked loudly as I walked onto the training grounds. Sakura and Sasuke were already there. Kakashi wasn't there. He was probably showing the old man a bathroom. Hooray for hangovers.

"Nowhere!" I yelled back.

Naruto bounded up to me. "Whoa! You cut your hair! Why'd you do that?"

"Because I felt like it," I said coldly.

Naruto began to look concerned. "Ne, why are your eyes red? Have you been crying?"

I turned away from him. "I have allergies."

He stared at me curiously. "Are you sure?" he prodded.

"Yes, I'm sure!" I snapped.

Naruto looked a little hurt. "What's with you?"

I faced him. "Nothing. I guess I'm just nervous about going out of the village," I lied. "This will be my first time, you know."

Naruto flashed a smile. "I know what you mean! This will be my first time going out of Konoha too!"

I smiled too, even though it was a little strained. "Good. Now I don't feel like an idiot."

"Ano, Zeni-chan, guess what?"

I blinked. "What?"

"I brought ramen!"

"Really? So did I!"

"What flavors did you bring?"

"Chicken. It's my favorite flavor."

"I brought miso pork!"

"That's good. Now we won't starve with Kakashi-sensei's cooking."

We both laughed.

"Is my cooking really that bad?" a voice said behind us.

I laughed, but didn't answer back.

Naruto, however, began to bounce on the balls of his feet. "Do we leave now, Kakashi-sensei?"

Kakashi smiled. "Yes!"

**Reviewer Responses:**

**swt-angel-babi3:** It was a long update. But when you take a lot of time doing it and perfecting your stories, it comes out worthwhile. Thanks for the happy compliments!

**Neogem: **I like SasukexOC fanfics too! You gotta love em! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

**Kausi: **Yeah, I did, didn't I? Oh well, at least I tried my best. Thanks for the happy compliments!

**Cookie6: **Thanks for the happy compliments! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

**krn-kimbap: **Yep! You guessed right!

**kie-san: **Thanks for the happy compliments! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

**lukeluke: **Nu-uh! Are you kidding? That would be so boring if I followed the whole story line! But, I will have to for a little while...but, no. Not gonna be following it the whole story. That would be boring. Anyways, thanks for the happy compliments!

**Akari Kametsura: **I'm glad you like it! Thanks for the happy compliments! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

**emma-chan: **Yeah, it is a bit short, I agree. I try to stretch these out as long as I can. But, hey...at least it was a bit longer than usual. It was 500 words more than usual! Yay! Thanks for the happy compliments!

**EternalMidnight: **Wow! You really liked it that much? LOL! Thanks for the happy compliments! And I can't wait for your update!

**Monkey Shoes: **You think so? I think that was my first cliffy. Hmm...::begins to plot even more evil cliffys in the future:: Thanks for the happy compliments!

**Demoneyes14: **Don't worry, I still have your Neji/Saku idea in mind! Do you not like Neji/Ten pairings? Thanks for the happy compliments!

**Yay! Chapters are now getting progressivley longer! Hooray for me! Man, poor Zeni...I'm making life too hard for her, aren't I?**

**Next update? Um...::ponders in thought:: I don't know. Probably after I update on 'Life'. Hopefully it'll be soon!**

**Remember, the more reviews I get, that faster I update.**

**Ja ne!**


	9. Disagreements and a message

**Disclaimer: **refer to chapters 1 & 2

Chapter 9: Disagreements and a message

Darkness had fallen and everyone was settling down to make camp. It had been a long day. We had walked the whole way, because the old man couldn't keep up if we had done anything faster. Then, we had to stop because the man threw up all over Sakura. It sucked.

I wanted to be happy, I really did, but I couldn't. I have put a mask up over my face and I act as if nothing disturbing has ever happened to me. Whenever I talked, my voice would croak, I was surprised that nobody questioned me about it.

I sat down on a log, not straying too far away from camp. I could see in the distance Sasuke trying to start a fire. Naruto was greedily opening up his packages of ramen. Sakura wasn't there, she was changing into some other clothes. Kakashi was sitting down, talking to Tazuna about the village he lived in.

I heaved a sigh and closed my eyes. How could I go on living like this? Just a year ago I had wanted to become a history teacher, now I'm throwing it away for what that jerk wants. I wanted to tell Sasuke about it- about everything. But, shouldn't I be fine with telling him about the statement Itachi told me to tell him? I would think so…Itachi isn't an idiot. He wouldn't let something like that he didn't want said.

"Hey, why are you over here?"

My eyes fluttered open. In front of me was Sasuke. "Because…" I said, letting it trail off.

Sasuke sat himself down on the same log that I was sitting on. "You've…been acting really strange today."

I nodded slowly.

"I don't know how to say it, but it's like there's a new air of feeling floating about you now. An air of defiance…of anger."

I stayed silent.

"What happened to you?" he asked gently.

I decided to change the subject. "Sasuke…will you please listen to me and tell me if you understand what I'm about to say to you?" I asked quietly.

He nodded.

I took a deep breath before I made the plunge. "Your brother is impatiently waiting for you to grow stronger."

A gasp escaped from him. He flicked his eyes at me and I realized that his eyes were growing with anger. He shot out and grabbed my wrist. "Who told you this?!" he hissed between his teeth. "Tell me!"

I grabbed the same wrist that held me. "You tell me what's going on!" I spat angrily back at him.

"Who was it?! Have you met Itachi?!" he yelled, ignoring my actions.

"What's going on?!" an angry voice yelled. I felt myself letting go of Sasuke and vise versa. I was lifted up into the air. "Speak, now!"

I ignored Kakashi. I looked up into the eyes of Sasuke and glared dangerously at him. Some friend.

Kakashi shook us. "Speak!"

"Let me go," I answered quietly.

But, Kakashi held me in place.

I began to kick and flail my fists about. "I said: let me go!" I yelled.

Kakashi dropped me to the floor. I took off and headed towards the woods.

Kakashi turned to Sasuke. "We need to talk."

Sasuke darted his eyes away from him.

Kakashi set him down on the log gently. Sasuke bowed his head and looked away. Kakashi kneeled in front of him. "Sasuke, why were you two yelling about Itachi?" he asked firmly.

Sasuke grunted and folded his arms. "Why are you so interested now in my personal business?"

"Look at me!" he said sharply.

Sasuke tore his eyes away and looked at Kakashi.

"Talk," he commanded.

"She- she knew about-Argh! Never mind! It'd be pointless trying to talk to you anyway!" Sasuke jumped up into the trees.

Kakashi sighed. This was going nowhere.

Just then, Naruto ran towards him. "Ano sa! Sensei! There's a falcon flying over us! It keeps kawing and kawing and won't go away!" he whined. "Can you _please _make it go away?! It's killing my ears!"

A falcon? Kakashi thought. Shouldn't those birds be away from human camps? Unless…

"Naruto!"

"What?" he asked in a bored tone of voice.

"Look at the falcon and check if it has a scroll attached to one of his legs! Quickly!"

Naruto rushed off. As soon as he had gone, he had come back, panting and sweating. Kakashi sat on the log. "So?"

Naruto saluted. "Hai!"

Kakashi got up and ran to the camp. He ignored Sakura's: "Do you know where Zeni-chan is? Sasuke-kun is gone also!" He looked overhead, and just as Naruto had told him, there was a falcon flying above. Kakashi whistled loudly. The falcon heard it and dove at him, landing on his shoulder. Curious, Kakashi carefully untied the scroll from the falcon's leg.

The falcon refused to go, however, so Kakashi let it eat Naruto's ramen. That didn't go very well with Naruto.

Kakashi went close to the fire and opened the scroll. His eyes scanned the paper intensly. All of a sudden, he jumped up. "Sakura!"

Sakura was examining the bird when she heard her sensei call. She stood up. "Yes, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Find Zeni!"

Sakura blinked. "W-why?"

"Hurry! Naruto!"

Naruto stopped harassing the falcon about his ramen and ran over to Kakashi. "What?"

"Go with Sakura!"

"Really? Being in a dark forest alone with Sakura-chan is perfect!" he cheered.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "C'mon."

"Yes, Sakura-chan!"

With that, they ran into the woods, going to search for me.

**Oh my gosh! I'm SO VERY sorry, xl-black-tears-lx for forgetting to recognize you in the reviwer responses! I'm SO sorry! Please forgive me!**

**Reviewer Responses:**

**Neogem: **/nods head/ yeah, he is...thank you for your compliments!

**lukeluke: **Thank you for your compliments! You're probably disappointed with this chapter, so sorry.

**kie-san:** Thank you for your compliments!

**Flamegoddessthe9th: **Thank you for your compliments. Was this soon enough?

**Kausi: **Sorry about that.

**swt-angel-babi3: **Thank you for your compliments. Was this soon enough?

**Legna03: **Yes, poor, poor Zeni. Thank you for your compliments and about how you like my story so much that it's one of your favorites!

**krn-kimbap: **I dunno...maybe we'll find out at the end of the story.../hands krn-kimbap tissue/

**Blue Savage: **Of course! Who can't turn down a good SasukexOC?

**Monkey Shoes: **Well, it wasn't right off the bat that she started to become 'happy' when Naruto told her about the ramen. It was when she saw that she hurt Naruto's feelings. I mean, who couldn't feel sorry for Naruto when you see his hurt face? And it's true about her being a happy character!

**Lux Aeterna 93**: Wow, you really like this story, don't you? Ok, so you're a newbie (well, I'm a newbie too but um...yeah...) Ok, so you wanna know how to upload a story? First, go to Document manager on your log in page. Do everything that it tells you there. Once you are done with that, go back to your side bar and click on Create a Story. Then, fill out all of those like things that instructions say to! Hope this helps! If you're still having troubles, then, no worries! Send me a review telling me. Thank you for your compliments.

Hiya! Irukapooka speaking! /taps microphone/ Does this work?

**Sasuke: **/Nods/

Oh good! Okay, guys, this chapter was hurriedly done because I needed to get to the point. I mean, this story is gonna be so long that I might have to divide it into two stories!

**Sasuke: **Trust me, it is pretty long.

So, I created this sloppy chapter just to get to the point. Sorry that I was so impatient, but I wanted to hurry and write this up since all of you kind readers were patiently waiting!

**Zeni: **That's right!

The next chapter will be a lot better, I promise! Something very spiffy's gonna happen between Zeni and Sasuke...um...somewhat...

**Zeni: **/glares at Irukapooka/ What do you mean?!

Um...

**Sasuke: **/cracks knuckles/

Eeeeeeeeeeep! Okay, fine. There's really no romance, but now, Sasuke will finally understand what's going on...

**Sasuke: **About what?

/hits head on desk/ Just wait and see. Oh! By the way, if any of you guys have been reading 'Life', it was updated a few days ago!

**Yondaime: **Yay! I'm gonna come back to life!

/Irukapooka pulls Yondaime out/ You're not in this fic!

**Zeni: **When will the next update be on that?

Very soon! Since it's the one that is doing most successful right now, I'm working on that one a lot more, plus, it's very fun to write! /sighes/ Okay, we better wrap this up, the author's note is becoming longer than the chapter.

**Zeni: **Please review!

**Sasuke: **Remember, the more reviews she gets, the sooner she'll update!

Ja ne!


	10. I care about you

**Disclaimer:** Refer to chapters 1 & 2

Chapter 10: I care about you

**Zeni's POV**

"Zeni!"

"Zeni!"

I ignored the voices that were calling me. They sounded as though they belonged to Sakura and Naruto. I would've called out, but with the mood I was in, I didn't want anything to do with them.

I tried to lie back on the branch I was on. It wasn't the most comfortable spot to hide in, but hey. At least nobody would see me from up here. And that's what I wanted: people to give me my time and space now.

"Zeni?! Come on, Zeni-chan! Kakashi wants to see you! It sounds as though it's something really important!" I heard Naruto yell.

"Well, too bad," I whispered through gritted teeth.

"Please, Zeni!" Sakura said desperately. "We know you're there! This isn't a joke! Kakashi-sensei really needs to see you!"

I heard a rustle of leaves behind me. "Leave me alone," I yelled.

Naruto popped out of the trees, with Sakura trailing behind him. "But, Zeni-chan…"

"I mean it, Naruto!" I growled. My eyes flashed towards his direction. "I am not in the mood right now!"

"But, Zeni," Sakura tried to reason. "Kakashi-sensei said that we needed to find you quickly, so it must be important."

"If he really wants to see me, tell him to come get me," I said quietly. "If it's really that much of an emergency, then he should be able to come get me without hesitation, right?"

Naruto and Sakura looked at each other with a slight unease. "Fine," Naruto said. "Sakura-chan, could you get-"

Sakura nodded. "I'm on it." She left.

Naruto sat down and put his arm around me. "Zeni-chan, why aren't you happy?" he asked innocently.

I brought my knees close to my body and hugged them tight. "You wouldn't understand," I said just above a whisper.

"Sure I would," he said sweetly.

I turned my head and looked at him. He smiled back. I shook my head. "Naruto-kun, I don't feel like explaining it right now."

Naruto looked into my eyes. "Your eyes aren't smiling."

"Huh?"

"Your eyes aren't smiling," he repeated. He looked up above the tree tops and to the stars. "My eyes were like that too until a little while ago. Are you sure you don't want to tell me what's wrong?"

I nodded, afraid that if I'd start talking, I'd cry.

"Is it okay if I hold you Zeni-chan? Would that make you feel better?"

I nodded.

Naruto wrapped both of his arms around me and held me close. "Zeni-chan, I just want you to know, I care about you."

I buried my face into his orange coat and began to sob quietly. "N-Naruto-kun…" That's exactly what I wanted to know, was if somebody cared about me that was still alive. "It hurts."

Naruto rubbed my back, without saying a word. But, for some reason, I could tell that he knew what I was going through, even though I didn't tell him anything.

"Naruto, I'd like to talk to Zeni alone," I heard Kakashi say.

It didn't surprise me that Kakashi had shown up without making any noise. I gently pushed Naruto away.

"Are you going to be okay?" Naruto asked.

I nodded.

Naruto left and left me alone with Kakashi.

* * *

**Sasuke's POV**

Itachi…how does she know about Itachi? How did she know about how I wanted revenge?

Questions clawed at me, impatiently wanting an answer.

Something was strange about this new girl, and I was going to get to the bottom of this.

I leaned against a tree to rest. I had been running as far away as I could from my sensei. He always butts in on things. Why can't he just leave people alone?!

Maybe, I was a little too harsh on Zeni, but the past was in the past. Plus, she was asking for it. She knows something that I don't, and I want to know what.

I slumped against the tree and slid to my knees. Great, I probably scared her off for good, now she'll never talk to me about Itachi and what that little statement was all about.

I heard voices up above me. It was Naruto's. I heard a sob. What was going on? But, I didn't bother to look. What would the benefit of that be, anyway?

"Zeni-chan, I just want you to know, I care about you."

For some reason, my blood began to boil. What was that? Was Naruto in love with Zeni now? How could he give up on Sakura, just like that? It seemed that only yesterday he was drooling all over her. Wait- that was yesterday.

Why am I feeling this way? Why do I feel angry? Maybe, I'm coming down with something.

Next, I heard Kakashi's voice: "Naruto, I'd like to talk to Zeni alone."

I sighed. There he went again, butting into people's business. I know that it was supposed to be a 'private' conversation, but I didn't move. Maybe, this would allow me to know about Zeni's past and how she knows about Itachi and I.

* * *

**Zeni's POV**

"Zeni, I received a note from Hokage-sama a few minutes ago," Kakashi said slowly. "Your mother is dead."

I bit my lip, trying to stifle a sob.

"But, you already knew of this, didn't you?"

I nodded.

"Do you know who could've done this?"

I shook my head, though I knew who it was.

Kakashi gave me a look of uncertainty. "Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"I-I didn't w-want anyone to w-worry," I choked.

"Do you still want to go on with the mission?"

"That's what Mom would've wanted," I lied.

"I'll write back to Hokage-sama then, telling him to preserve your mother's body for burial until you come back," he said gently. "Would that be alright?"

I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand. I nodded.

"Is this all you want to tell me?"

I looked up at him.

"I know you aren't telling me the whole truth. But, if you still not want to confide to me about your mother's killer, you do know that many more people will die if he runs loose?"

I bit my tongue. No, he was wrong. As long as Itachi was kept as a secret from everybody, I should be fine, and so should everyone else around me. But, I nodded.

Kakashi stood up. "I'm going back to camp. Come back when you are ready."

I nodded again.

Kakashi left.

* * *

**Sasuke's POV**

Zeni's mom was murdered? I thought. Finally, it was starting to make since, even though there were still quite a few shady spots.

I stood up. I was going to confront her about this.

**Reviewer Responses:**

**krn-kimbap:** I'm really leaning towards pairing Naruto up with Sakura, though it will be hard for me to. By the way, I updated on Life!

**Sara:** Thanks!

**Monkey Shoes:** Thanks!

**swt-angel-babi3:** Thanks! And about the OOCness, I'm really sorry about that...oh well.

**poyo poyo im cheez:** Um...thanks!

**xl-black-tears-lx:** Thanks!

**Demoneyes 14:** Thanks!

**saki-kun:** Thanks! And thank you for telling me about the pairings you want! I'll definetly take them into consideration!

**Rythmic:** Thanks! Yeah...last chapter was really short.

Tis Irukapooka again! Ok, before anybody freaks out, this is still going to be a SasuxOC story, ok?

**Sasuke:** Then what the heck was that all about with Naruto and Zeni?!

Aw, he just cares about her. Don't worry though, they're only like best buds.

**Sasuke:** Oh! Ok!

**Zeni:** She also updated on Life yesterday, so stop by and check that out.

**Yondaime:** I'm a-

/clasps hand over Yondaime's mouth/ Sh! If they wanna know, they can read it themselves! Plus, what are you doing in this fic anyway?

**Yondaime:** /shrugs/

**Zeni:** Remember, the more reviews she gets, the faster she'll update!

**Sasuke:** She'll update next year.

**All together:** HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Ja ne!


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